Motor-starter.



1. A. PARKINSON.

MOTOR STARTER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 2. NH4.

J. A. PARKINSON.

MOTOR STARTER.

APPLICATION man xuLY 2. |914.

Patned TFT-5b. 26, 11918.-

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Jenna. rannnvsoiv, or sIoUX orrr, Iowa.

lflIO'lOR-STARTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 26, igfn,

Application :filed .Tuly 2, 1914. Serial No. 848,673.

To all fav/wm it may concern:

Be it known that I, J oI-IN A. PARKINsoN, acitizen of the UnitedStates,and a resident of Sioux `City, in the county of Woodbury andState of Iowa, have invented certain -new and useful Improvements mMotor Starters, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to means for starting gas-engines and moreparticularly engines employed for driving automobiles. t

The invention has for its primary object the construction of an improvedpurely mechanical motor starter stable in construction and thoroughlydependable in operation.

`Another object of the invention is the production in a device of thisclass of meansl for positively disengaging the actuating members in caseof premature ignition.

.A further object of the invention is the production of a motor starterparticularly adapted for installation upon the great majority ofautomobiles.

With these and several other objects in view, the invention, consistingin the construction, combination and novel arrangernent of parts, willbe fully understood from the following description, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings which form a part of this application and.in

which like characters of reference indicate corresponding partsthroughout the several views, of which,"

Figure l isa fragmentary frontelevation of an automobilcchassis equippedwith the device of my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan of the same; Fig. 3 isa side elevation of the hand-lever buffer Fig. 4t isA an enlarged 40..

front elevation of the starter; Fig. 5 is a plan of the same, a portionbeing cut .away

lto reveal internal characteristics; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of thecalirfaced collar andhub-guide; F ig. 7 is a similar view of thesupporting bearing; Fig. 8 is a vertical longitudinal section ofthedevlce taken on the line 8 8 of. Fig. i and showing the y main-shaftand crank, each in part; Vand f, being` limited to the specificstructure chosen p Fig.V 9 is a `central vertical section .of the`,supporting bearing.

v Although I have illustrated and herein described thepreferredembodiment of the invention, I would not bedunderstood asforillustratiom for various alterations and modifications in the detailsof construction and arrangement of parts may be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention as denued inthe appendedclaims.`

'rhe invention contemplates, broadly, mechanism including' aratchet-faced wheel mounted to turn with the main-shaft, and a secondratchet-faced wheel adapted to be turned at the will of the operator.Means are provided for automatically placing said wheels in and out ofmutual engagement, according as the direction of turning of the latterwheel, allof which will presently be made clear.

Referring, now, particularly to Figs. l and 2, l() represents theforward portion of the main-frame of an automobile chassis, equippedwith the usual dash, l1, crankshaft, l2, and starting-crank, 13. 11iisthe pan, which is formed at its forward end, generally, with aconcave-convex neck, l5, which partially incloses the shank of thestarting-crank and the adjacent end of the crankshaft, and servesadvantageously as a support for the preferred form of my invention. A

17 is a ratchet-faced wheel, secured upon the crank-shaft and preferablyformed with abroad periphery, thus adapting it to supplant the customaryfan-belt-pulley. A second ratchet-faced wheel, 18, provided with anelongated hub, 19, freely inclosing the coacting ends of the crankshaftand starting-crank, is alined axially with the lined ratchetovheel, theforward end of the hub being encircled by a band, 20, secured theretoand inclosed by a suitable bearing, as the collar,'2l, having ears, 22,resting upon the flanged edges of the neck of the pan and clampedthereto by a U-bolt, 23, which incluses the neck of the pan and the endsof which protrude through the ears and are threaded to receive nuts,24C, screwed into firm engagement with the ears. To the front and rearof said nuts are set-screws, 25, threaded into the ears and screwed intoengagement with the edges of the neck of the pan, and serving forleveling and alining the bearing. Adjacent the ratchet-faced Vrim 18 thehub is encircled by a ring, 26,

afriction-roller, 30. The free end of said lever is bifurcated andincloses laterally a l bearing atbolt, 31, the rear end of which is bentdownwardly and th-readed into the adjacent ear 22. A compression-spring,32, interposed between the head of said bolt and the lever, tends toforce the free hatchet-wheel 18 .toward its companion, by virtue ofengagement between the friction-roller and the hub portion 20.

The rear end of the bearing is counter bored 'to provide a, shoulder,l33, between which and the plate 26 is a collar, 34, freely encirclingthe hub 19 and provided with a radial tappet, 35, which protrudesthrough a. semi-annularperipheral opening, 36, in the bearing,f9i1, andnormally engages the the end of said'opening. Upon the face of theVcollar 34; are lugs, 37, extending forwardly into longitudinal notches,3S, in the hub portion, 20. The

said lugs are formed with oblique edges, 39, which coact-'with similarlyformed edges of the notchesin disengaging the crownratchets, as willpresently appeal'.

The free ratchet-wheel carries a radial arm, LO'terminating in segment,el, the rim of which is channeled to receive a iiexible link, a2, whichpasses around a direction-pulley, 43, mounted upon the chassis;

one end of said link being Vsecured to the lowerend of said segment andthe other j end'to an arm, 4e, extending laterally from 'in normalposition and'retracts it when the hand-lever is released. Y

The hand-lever is received by a V-shaped buffer, 50, the arms of whichtend to spring toward each other and engage opposite sides of the lever,thereby absorbing the shock incident to the retraction of the lever.

In starting the ,engine the driver draws the'hand-lever toward him,wliereu )on the free ratchet wheel is turned and tae hub thereof freedfrom the cams 37, thus permitting the said wheel to yield rearwardly andcoact with its companion in turning the crank-shaft in they desireddirection. It

p will be observed that when the free ratchet-- wheel thus starts toturn, the cam-faced collar 134 remains at `rest until the edges of thecamsopposite to their oblique edges are encountered by the adjacentedges of the slots 38,`which causes the cam-faced collar to then turn inunison with the ratchetwheel. When the free ratcliet-wheel starts toretract, either from action of the attached My improvement in no wayimpairs the old method of cranking which may still be resorted to whenspinning of the motor is necessary.

Another advantageous feature resides in the fact that there are no partsof my improved starter which require lubrication.

Having thus described my invention,

' what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,-

l. In a motor-starter the combination with the motor shaft of aratchet-faced wheel mounted to turn with the shaft, a secondratchet-faced wheel mounted coaxially with said first wheel, one of saidwheels being yieldably movable toward the other and having ataper-notched shouldered hub, a camfaccd collar encircling the hub andadapted to normally hold said movable wheel from the other wheel, and beturned and reciprocated by engagement with the hub, and operable whenits reciprocation is retarded to coact with the hub to force the movablewheel from the other wheel, and means for retarding reciprocation of thecollar.

2. In a motor-starter, the combination with the motor-shaft, of aratchet-faced wheel mounted to turn with the shaft, a secondratchet-faced wheel mounted coaxially with said first wheel, one of saidwheels being yieldably movable toward the other and provided on its sideopposite the other wheel with Va hub having an irregular peripheralshoulder adjacent its outer end, a cam-faced collar encircling the hubintermediate the shoulder and the adjacent side of the wheel, 1

mounted to turn and reciprocate with the hub, and operable, whenretarded, to force the movable wheel from the other wheel, and means forretarding the collar when it reciprocates.

3. In an engine-starter the combination with a crank-shaft and aratchet-faced wheel mounted to turn the same, of a second ratchet-facedwheel, yieldably impelled toward said irst wheel, adapted to be turnedand reciproeated and having an irregular peripheral shoulder on its hub,a cani-faced collar encircling the hub, mounted against longitudinalmovement and adapted to be turned with said second wheel and retardedwhen reciprocating to force said second wheel from said first wheel, andmeans for retarding reciprocation of said collar.

4. In an engine-starter for automobiles, the combination with thecrank-shaft and a ratchet-faced wheel mounted to turn the same, of asecond ratchet-faced wheel yieldably impelled toward said first wheel,adapted t0 be turned and reciprocated and having a peripheral shoulderedhub provided with tapered notches, a cam-faced collar encircling the huband mounted against longitudinal movement, the cams being adapted toenter said notches to cause the collar to be turned with the hub, andwhen retarded in reciprocating, to force said second wheel from saidfirst wheel, means for retarding reciprocation of the collar, and meansfor normally stopping said collar after reciprocation.

5. In an engine-starter for automobiles the combination with a fixedpart of the chassis and the crank-shaft of a ratchetfaced wheel securedupon the crank-shaft, a bearing in axial alinement therewith and mountedupon the Xed part, a second ratchet-faced wheel having aforwardly-extending hub journaled in said bearing and having aperipheral shoulder on its forward end provided with tapered notches,yieldable means impelling said second wheel toward said rst wheel, meanscontrolled by the driver for actuating said second wheel, means forretracting the latter wheel, a cam-faced collar encircling the hub andmounted in said bearing against longitudinal movement, the cams beingtapered to enter said notches whereby the collar is turned with saidhub, means for retarding reciprocation of said collar when said secondwheel starts to reciprocate, and means for normally stopping saidcollar.

6. In an engine-starter for automobiles, the combination with thecrank-shaft, the starting-crank and a fixed part carried by the chassis,of a ratchet-faced wheel secured upon the crank-shaft adjacent theforward end thereof, a second ratchet-faced wheel having aforwardly-extending hub freely inclosing the contiguous ends of thecrankshaft andstarting-crank, andhaving a peripheral shoulder adjacentits forward end, a bearing mounted upon said fixed part and supportingthe hub, said bearing having an internal peripheral groove and aperipheral slot opposite said groove, a radial arm carried by saidsecond wheel, a hand-lever fulcrumed for control by the driver, aconnection between said lever and radial arm, a cam-faced collarencircling the hub, inclosed by said groove and having a radial stopdisposed within said slot and normally engaged at one end thereof,yieldable means impelling said second wheel toward said first wheel,said cams being tapered and said shoulder being provided with taperednotches toreceive the cams, and means for retarding reciprocation ofsaid collar.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

JOHN A. PARKINSUN.

Witnesses:

M. S. CRANDALL, It. W. MCDONALD.

Zanica et this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner ofyatenta,

` Washington, D. U.

